Earlier this month, after an outcry by many smaller brands, the UCI put its ‘Approved by UCI’ label program on hold pending meeting with frame and component manufacturers.

On January 13 and 14, the UCI met with 45 people representing 33 companies to discuss the sticker program, in particular the financial and temporal strain it would place on all parties, the UCI included. Part of the impetus for change was a surprisingly high number of frames that were expected to be submitted.

As originally worded, the approval program would test every frame variation in every size. Not only would this add to the amount of time required to test a particular model, but with some manufacturers offering 10+ sizes in their range, the costs could quickly escalate to the obscene. The sad byproduct of this could theoretically reduce the number of options ultimately available to consumers as smaller companies limit their sizes or product offerings if they care to be approved.

The UCI now promises to share a revised  protocol in early February. One suggestion offered by the industry was to randomly pick one size from a model for testing, and industry sentiment seems to be fairly positive on the fact that the UCI included them in discussions and seemed to genuinely listen.

Read the full UCI statement here. Some parts of this story via BikeBiz. Full list of the companies represented at the meeting after the break…

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Find all Project 24 posts here!
After over two months of planning and anticipation, it’s exciting to pull a collection of parts together into an honest-to-goodness, rideable bicycle.  As with any ground-up build, there were some lessons learned and last-minute parts ordering, but with just about a month to go before race day, everything came together very nicely.  At this point, the Project 24 Ellsworth Truth has seen 120 miles of riding- and several of its components many more.  Happily, it’s proving to be exactly what I had in mind.

When all is said and done, the Truth came together (with pedals, a bottle cage, sealant, and computer) at a shade under 25lb.  While that is significantly heavier than the advertised weight of a lot of cross country bikes, those are often weighed in their smallest size without pedals, let alone accessories or the critical-in-the-desert 2 scoops of Stan’s sealant per UST tire.  Really, there isn’t anywhere on this bike to shave a whole lot of weight without making some serious financial or durability sacrifices. Still, the size Large frame came in at 5.9lb with its Fox shock and the Candy 3 pedals aren’t Crank Brothers’ lightest.  The biggest change will come when Schwalbe’s tubeless-ready 2011 tires replace the older UST models currently fitted.  Click ‘more‘ for the details…

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A friend of mine bought me one of Joe Parkin’s books for my birthday, but alas, I already owned and had read both of them. So, when I returned it, I wanted to honor the spirit of his gift with another bicycle-related book. Thusly,  I relied on Amazon’s “Other Readers Who Bought This Also Bought…” feature. That led me to this wonderful little gem by William Fotheringham, Put Me Back On My Bike: In Search Of Tom Simpson.

Read what I thought of it after the jump…

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Photo submitted by Bill Kannenberg, “Great Sunrise, Great Bike, Doesn’t get much better than this.”

To see more Pics of the Day, click here, and to submit your own photo to be shown to the world, go here.

OK fine, you got me, it’s a Mr. T.’s road bike, not The Mr. T.’s road bike. The real Mr. T.’s bike would have way more gold.

This bike was made for one Mike T. by Ira Ryan Cycles of Portland, Oregon. Many frame builders like to keep their NAHBS plans under wraps, who knows if this thing will even be at NAHBS! (exclamation point mine). Ira probably knows, but, for the life of me I couldn’t find any way to contact him through his website or blog. Of course I have all the internet skills of a lobotomized capuchin monkey, so the contact button is probably there, sitting in plain view. If you have a six-year-old in the house, he can probably find it. Or your cat, the cat will definitely find it.

Many more photos of this steel lugged frame with Deda tubes, Sram force group and handbuilt nickel plated stem after the break.

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Our conversation with 3T started when we published our tech article on using carbon handlebars for cyclocross. They replied that they had a ‘cross specific carbon handlebar coming out (shown after the break) and, oh by the way, a full carbon disc fork, too.

And here we are: An exclusive first look at the all-new 3T Cycling Luteus full carbon fiber disc brake cyclocross fork and Ergoterra carbon cyclocross handlebar.

Jump on past the break for all the details and photos (UPDATE: and pricing!)…

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You know that “most technologically advanced” anti-chainsuck device that was revealed back in September and that’s coming stock on the new 2011 Tomac Supermatic?

We just got word from Joe at K-Edge that they’re ramping up production now and it’ll be available for sale on their website on February 15. They’re also working on getting distributors on board. Mark your calendars, get your BB tool ready and clean that drivetrain…and tell your sweetie you’ll accept a slightly late Valentine’s day gift. It does come in red, after all (and possibly blue, black and gold if they follow suit on their existing chainkeeper collection).

UPDATE: Price will be about $50 USD, and colors at launch will be red and black.

This morning, sources around the globe, including the UK’s Cycling News and USA’s Bicycling Magazine, are buzzing with rumors out of the Spanish press regarding the Contador Decision (I’m thinking that’ll be a good title for the movie they inevitably make about this; Contador played by BJ Novak of The Office…).

That decision, which will be handed down on Thursday by the Spanish Cycling Federation (REFC), is now heavily rumored to be a one year suspension, an exception from the standard two years, which would also result in the automatic removal of his 2010 Tour de France title.

Contador is currently at Saxo Bank-Sungard’s team training camp in Majorca, Spain, and will be expected to file an appeal on the decision within ten days.

While a bit strange, the concept of a bicycle rack for a motorcycle is nothing new. In fact, two wheel enthusiasts have been building them out of their garages for years. While the thought of a bicycle attached to a motorcycle may conjure up some strange images in your head, it really isn’t all that hard to understand, especially due to the fact that a lot of us out there seem to have a love for all things two wheeled, not just bicycles.

For years, those with motorcycles and bicycles in their garage were forced to ride one or the other, and if the bicycle was chosen and the riding destination was far away it meant leaving the more efficient and fun to ride motorcycle for the bicycle carrying capacity of a car or truck. It is for these exact reasons, that individuals began searching for a means to carry a bicycle on the back of a motorcycle in a safe, effective, and easy to use way, which in turn, gave rise to the various home brew motorcycle bike racks.

What makes the Johnny Rack G2 different from the 2×2? Who was first? Find out after the break!

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I’ve said this before, but there’s no such thing as too many lights when commuting through a major city, especially one that loves its cars so much like LA. With a mantra like that, I’m a natural choice for testing lights here at Bike Rumor, so I see quite a few at my doorstep. However, when I recently saw a Light & Motion light in person, I knew they were up my alley and sought out a headlight to test. What arrived in that magical box was a Stella 300 and surprise Vis180, the latter of which is already in the hands of another of our testers, Marc. Check out more details on the lights, plus my initial reaction after a couple rides, after the jump…

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Along with new packaging design, Nuun is bringing out five new flavors this April: Strawberry Lemonade, Fruit Punch, Lemon Tea, Tropical and Grape.

The new logo is definitely less Nickelodeon-y than their original, and the new flavors seem to have a more mature profile…at least, we’re hoping.

Set to launch April 1st, unless they’re foolin’.

Found this video at the Ahearne Cycles website. Check them out for other time lapse goodness, and excellent custom bike builds.